A macro photograph is typically defined as a still portrait or close up of something small. These are usually limited to nature scenes such as flowers, birds, and other animals. However, there are some fine artists that use large amounts of very expensive light source and equipment to create larger scale photographs.
These types of photos are not common though and require very specific settings for successful taking! That’s why it is important to understand what makes a good macro photo before trying your hand at it.
You can take many beautiful pictures of natural objects, but if you don’t know how to handle them once they have been photographed then their beauty will be diminished. If this article teaches you anything do not hesitate to review the lessons again!
There are three main reasons people choose to increase the size of a macro shot beyond just practical purposes. They are artistic expression, curiosity, and knowledge.
By understanding the basics of macro photography, you will know when to start experimenting with bigger subjects and why it is necessary to invest in special lighting gear.
Sweetening the lens
When shooting with a DSLR, one of the most important things is changing your lenses! A beginner may start off using their 50mm f/1.8 or even longer lenses to make everything look closer together and wider.
However, these are very expensive lenses and only professionals use them, so what do you do if you want to take macro pictures but can’t afford those ones?
The first thing is to determine how close you need to get before it no longer looks like a photograph but more like an illustration or painting. This is called working in macros and depends on many different factors such as light source, camera equipment, etc.
Once you have determined that, then you will need to find a way to reduce the size of the object being photographed. There are two main ways to do this: by using a smaller aperture (narrower) lens or by using photoshopping software to resize the image.
By doing either of these, your photo will not show any pixels which makes the picture seem smoother and sharper.
Touch up
Another way to take better pictures is to learn how to touch-up your photos. You can do this in two ways: short term and long term touches. Short term touches are improving the overall look of a photo, such as adjusting the color or exposure of an image. Long term touches are changing the focus of a photo, for example, by using lucydized glass to produce more dramatic depth perception.
There are many easy to use free software programs that contain all of these tools. Some examples include Photoshop, GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program), and Pixlr-Whoozle.
Touch up again
Another way to do close-up photography is referred to as macro photography. This is when you use very close techniques to get intimate, personal pictures of your subject. Some examples of this are taking photos of flowers, studying insects, or even having a look at what plants have to say with their roots!
There are several different ways to achieve great macro photographs. One of the most basic is just using a lot of natural light to illuminate your subject. By doing this, the sun acts as your flash!
Another way to take good macro images is by using a special lens that has a really long focal length. A longer focal length means there’s less need for closer distances between the lens and object being photographed.
Some people also make use of an extension tube which works like a flash. You stick it onto the end of the lens and bounce the light off a white surface or use ambient light source such as sunlight.
The location
A good macro photographer will spend a lot of time focusing on where to place your subject. This is typically done in stages, starting with finding an interesting pattern or shape that your potential subject can match.
The next step is choosing whether to use natural light or artificial light as your source. Natural sunlight is usually your best bet since it does not require any batteries or power supplies.
Lastly, the angle at which you hold your camera matter! You want the whole thing-lens, body, eye piece, trigger, etc.-to all work together effectively so that you do not have to re-adjust anything when moving or changing positions.
These are just some of the things that affect how well you can take great macro pictures. There are many more though such as shutter speed, exposure length, and composition.
